Word
時刻表 を 見たら、 その 電車 は 十分後 に 発車する と 分かった。jikokuhyou o mitara, sono densha wa juppungo ni hasshasuru to wakatta.
Meaning
When I looked at the timetable, I saw that the train would depart in ten minutes.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of jikokuhyou o mitara, sono densha wa juppungo ni hasshasuru to wakatta.
はwa
topic particle
をo
direct object particle
にni
time particle
電車densha
train
Questions & Answers about jikokuhyou o mitara, sono densha wa juppungo ni hasshasuru to wakatta.
What does 見たら mean here? Is it really a conditional if?
In this sentence, 見たら is best understood as when I looked or after looking, not a strong hypothetical if.
- 見る = to look
- 見た = looked
- 見たら = when/after I looked; if I look/looked
The -たら form can express a condition, but it is also very commonly used for something discovered after doing an action.
So:
- 時刻表を見たら、…分かった = When I looked at the timetable, I found out ...
This pattern is very natural when the second part is a result, discovery, or new realization.
Why is there a と after 発車する?
Here, と marks the content of what was understood or found out. It works a lot like that in English.
- その電車は十分後に発車する = that train leaves in ten minutes
- …と分かった = I understood/found out that ...
So the whole part:
- その電車は十分後に発車すると分かった = I found out that the train would depart in ten minutes
This と is often called the quotative or complement particle. It is used not only for literal quotes, but also for thoughts, knowledge, reports, and realizations.
Why is it 発車する and not 発車した?
